1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for installing a sealing ring in a whether or not simultaneously formed annular groove chamber disposed in a socket end of a pipe part.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art sealing rings have been installed in an annular groove chamber in a socket end of a pipe part. Said prior art sealing rings provide a perfect and optimum seal between a male pipe part to be pushed into a socket end and said socket end. In actual practice the sealing ring is installed in the open field and is manually provided with a lubricating agent layer so as to facilitate the penetration of a male pipe part.
Many problems have to be faced on installing a sealing ring in a socket end in this way. It often happens that the sealing ring is not provided with an evenly spread lubricating agent layer, thus causing said sealing ring to be pushed out of the groove during the penetration of the male pipe part so that an incorrect and unsatisfactory seal is obtained, a fact which will only be observed later on.
Another drawback is that in certain cases the sealing ring will not correctly and/or exactly be installed in the annular groove chamber.
Efforts have been made to obviate said drawbacks by installing the sealing ring in the annular groove chamber directly after the manufacture of the socket end and the pipe part, but this has proved to be unsuccessful as in some cases it has appeared that the sealing ring falls out of the groove chamber, thus involving many problems when pipe connections have to be realized. Problems also occur in the latter case in introducing the sealing ring.
Apart from the aforementioned possibilities, a sealing ring functioning as a molding body for forming an annular groove chamber, may also be installed in a socket end. The latter method has the drawback that a sealing ring has to be used which comprises a rigid part especially to be mounted in said ring, which part then serves for sliding an initial pipe part across the ring. For that aim an end part of the socket adjacent to the sealing ring has to be shrunk upon a mandrel after removal of a retaining member. This method is not suitable for installing a sealing ring in a socket end, which previously has been provided with a groove chamber in another manner.